I chose the NAEYC podcast entitled, How Federal Policies Affect Early Childhood Education. Adele Robinson explains that the government has a strong impact on our field. The Federal government makes sure that the states have funding for early childhood education. This benefits all children, not just low income families. Federal dollars pay for state licensing visits to all centers who serve children, state training, and access to resources. It also helps early childhood educators by providing them with finical aid if they need it to help them obtain their degree. Although federal funding helps young children especially between birth and five years old, each state mainly regulates how and where the money is spent. This is why it is important to express to policy markers the importance of how and what to support in order to benefit to the child.
The Harvard website lists the propositions guide the Center’s international work:
- Coordinated strategies to support child development can multiply the effects of investments in child survival, health, education, and economic development.
- We need to protect children from significant adversity, in addition to providing them with enriched learning opportunities.
- The early childhood years are critical building blocks for lifelong health, not just school readiness.
The NAEYC podcast and Harvard's website are both focusing on ways in which funding will help young children receive the start they deserve. Making sure policy makers and leaders have the child's best interest at heart is our main concern. This is a global issues "Recent reports estimate that 200 million children fail to reach their full developmental potential by age 5 (Harvard, n.d.)." Advocates role in seeing the funding is properly placed and used is vital in this field.
References
Harvard. (n.d.). Working Globally - Center on the Developing Child. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/
NAEYC. (n.d.). NAEYC Radio | National Association for the Education of Young Children | NAEYC. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/newsroom/NAEYCradio
I found your post to be very informative. It never really occurred to me that the state ultimately decides where funding will go for certain things. It has become very clear that becoming an advocate for young children is very important. Thanks for sharing.
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